freefall Posted October 2, 2006 at 06:54 AM Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 at 06:54 AM If I'm hearing correctly, people often answer a question with 好的。How does the 'de' work into that? Is it being a possessive on the answer or something? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HashiriKata Posted October 2, 2006 at 07:31 AM Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 at 07:31 AM Yes, you hear it correctly, people often answer a question with 好的。 Your question is a good one, but there aren't usually good answers for it (not a short one anyway!). The best I can think of is just to accept 的 as used here to give the reply some force of assertion. Be prepared to hear other common assertions such as: 真的, 是的， 。。。 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmck Posted October 2, 2006 at 07:49 AM Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 at 07:49 AM I have always taken the 的 to be there to make the link between the 好 and the statement made in the question. Thereby meaning agreement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fulgentius Posted October 3, 2006 at 02:08 AM Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 at 02:08 AM I have been told that there is an implied noun when a clause ends with "de". So 好的 could be translated as something like "good (one/thing/etc.)". You see a somewhat similar thing in Latin. But then if I'm not mistaken it's really just an idiom and idioms don't have to make sense. Consider "okay": in spite of many theories of its origin it really doesn't mean anything except "okay". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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